At the Buzzer: Florida 66, Kentucky 64 (Instant Breakdown)

AT THE BUZZER
FLORIDA 66, No. 18 KENTUCKY 64

WHAT HAPPENED: Senior point guard Chris Chiozza swiped an inbound pass above the top of the key with 2.5 seconds left, then shoveled the ball up court as time expired to allow the Gators to escape sold-out Rupp Arena on Saturday night with just their second victory at Lexington in the last 11 years. For Kentucky, the loss was just the program's seventh at home in nine seasons under Coach John Calipari. UF led by two when sophomore forward Keith Stone went to the free-throw line for a one-and-one with 19.9 seconds left to put the game away. Instead, Stone missed the front end. On the Kentucky end, guard Quade Green had his shot blocked out of bounds by Egor Koulechov with 6.2 seconds to go. On the next play, Jalen Hudson blocked forward PJ Washington's shot out of bounds with 2.5 seconds left. From underneath their basket, the Wildcats tried to lob the ball over the UF defense for forward Green, but Kevarrius Hayes got a hand on the ball, and Chiozza gathered it and shoveled it down the floor as the clock ran out. Hudson led the Gators with 17 points, while Chiozza had 13 points, six rebounds, eight assists and just one turnover in one of the most intimidating venues in college basketball. Florida shot just 33 percent from the floor and a dismal 20 percent from the 3-point line (6-for-30), but played defense and made enough plays to win a huge game on the road.

WHAT IT MEANS: Florida, in winning for the third time on the Southeastern Conference road, remained atop the league standings, keeping a half-game lead over Auburn, and putting a two-game cushion between itself and Kentucky.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Koulechov was 0-for-8 from the floor and 0-for-5 from the 3-point line, but he grabbed nine rebounds (three on the offensive end) against the much bigger Wildcats and had a huge block at the end of the game. He was a shining example of how, when your shot isn't falling, you can do other things to impact the game and help your team win.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The loss dropped Calipari to 145-7 at Rupp. Florida has two of those wins (in 2014 and 2018).

UP NEXT: Florida (14-5, 6-1) is back home Wednesday night to face South Carolina (12-7, 3-4). The Gamecocks, who defeated the Gators in the NCAA East Region title game last March to advance to the first Final Four in program history, fell at home Saturday night against Tennessee after beating Kentucky four nights earlier.

Gators Calendar

At the Buzzer: Florida 66, Kentucky 64 (Instant Breakdown)

Players Mentioned

Chris Chiozza

Kevarrius Hayes

Jalen Hudson

Egor Koulechov

Keith Stone

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